Technology in education

Technology has always had an impact on teaching. In our modern world, electronics are ubiquitous and part of our everyday lives. Today most students have their own personal tablets, phones, and computers. Since students are well acquainted with using these devices, they are more engaged when teachers incorporate them into their lessons. Smart boards and computer labs also contribute to this change in the way that lessons are taught. Teachers can now show video clips from YouTube in their classrooms, or have students work independently on chrome book laptops.

One of the major changes that I have observed in the modern classroom is that teachers can manage their students using technology. When kids are working on laptops independently, they are quiet and focused. The teacher can get a lot of work done in their room instead of having to engage the whole class in an activity.

Another change that has occurred in schools is the use of smart boards. Classrooms can instantly become theaters by switching on the smart board and playing a video clip. This is a huge advantage for teachers because they can now show videos or demonstrations to the class whenever they want. There is no need to roll a television cart into the room and then return it later.

Some music apps are very useful for teaching. One website/app is musictheory.net. On the website, students can choose from a variety of music theory lessons and then test their new knowledge with the companion app. This resource helps teachers by reinforcing what they have already taught their students and also by giving them a chance to practice their skills with the app.

Music technology will continue to change the way that music is taught in schools. As long as our society continues to value electronics as much as we do, we will be using it in our classrooms for generations to come. In most music colleges notation software such as Finale or Sibelius are being taught in music tech classes. Recording programs like Logic or Garage band are also taught in classes, just like Excel or Word.

Music technology will continue to make a huge impact on our teaching and will help us teach in new creative ways.

Assessing student work

Rubrics provide teachers with a systematic framework for grading student work. The role of the rubric is to take the guesswork out of grading and give the teacher a clear-cut view of the criteria for an “A” paper. Unfortunately this system for grading does not promote creativity and risk taking because students know what they will be graded on specifically. Alfie Kohn’s article “The trouble with rubrics” outlines the reasons that rubrics are ineffective.

            Kohn writes that when students are graded in this manner they “tend to think less deeply, avoid taking risks, and lose interest in the learning itself.” He goes on saying “rubrics actually help to [legitimize] grades by offering a new way to derive them. They do nothing to address the terrible reality of students who have been led to focus on getting A’s rather than on making sense of ideas.” Sadly this style of assessment is very common in our education system.

            Perhaps an alternate approach to grading could be used that would promote student creativity and still make the teacher’s job easier. Robert Duke’s concept of assessment is a more holistic approach and still uses a “rubric.” I put the term rubric in quotations because Duke’s format is basically a checklist of things that the student either does or does not do. An example that he gives in his book Intelligent Music Teaching is a checklist rubric for students performing a guitar piece with an ensemble. The things on the list include:

Guitarist: Sat up straight, began immediately when called upon (no nervous mannerisms), Smiled, Gave correct starting pitch, and maintained steady pulse with right hand.

            This form of assessment grades students on a yes or no basis so there is no grey area when it comes to grading. There are also twenty bullet points on this rubric so missing a few of them doesn’t mean that the student will fail. This allows the students to be more relaxed, not so nervous about their grade, and more willing to take risks. Perhaps the most important aspect of Duke’s assessment concept is that he grades students on their actions. Everything on his list of criteria is an action verb; “Smiled, Sat up straight, maintained a steady beat, etc.” These are the qualities that we look for in good musicians. We should be grading our students on the most important aspects of musicianship in this yes or no format instead of using the typical rubric system.